Grouse Hollow Journal for August 29, 2013 by Greg Koelker
Its cold here this morning - in the upper 50’s at day break (Sunday, August 25). I just saw my companions off and took a walk half way up to Beaver Creek Village by myself. Now, I am in an easy chair on the deck on a condo along the mountainside in Beaver Creek, Colorado. I am surrounded by tall pines and mountains, and more condos of course. My ambitious family and friends have all gone off on a hike up to Beaver Lake and Turquoise Lakes. I know my limitations, so . . .
Anyway, the best place to start is the beginning. We left home early Monday morning, driving our rented Chevy Cruz to Kearney, Nebraska the first day. In the Des Moines area, gasoline was $3.29. I don’t know much Chevy Cruz history, but this one is nicely appointed, rides smoothly, is really quiet, and gets fantastic mileage – mid 30’s at least. We could have made it to Denver on less than two tank fulls. We stayed at a Ramada in Kearney, Nebraska that proved to be a great hotel about half way from La Crosse to Denver. I recommend it for the low price, great room with a king-sized bed, and fantastic free breakfast complete with an omelet chef and biscuits and gravy.
The prairies look green enough. Some places are dry, but I think they mostly have enough rain. The Platte and other streams seemed full, and some of the large cattle herds we could see from the highway were grazing in grass up to their backs.
By midday, after a break in Denver where it was over 100 in the sun, we stopped up on Vail pass on Tuesday afternoon to begin to acclimate to high altitude. Here it was in the low 60’s. I noticed the thin air immediately while walking up to the visitor’s center. Altitude makes me dizzy and sick to my stomach at first. My fit wife was just smiling about being in the mountains. She struck up a conversation with an over the road trucker from Utah who hauls liquids for manufacture from California to Des Moines a couple times a week, year round. I can’t imagine the road conditions he must have to deal with.
Anyway, we were in constant text communication with Ben, Mark, and Whitney, so we had hardly gotten checked into our Comfort Inn room in Avon when Mark dropped in. Ben showed up shortly after. We made plans for supper at Mark and Whitney’s new to-them-condo. Ben took us to City Market to shop for dinner groceries. Cooking together is a family thing we have all loved. Cooking and dining makes for easy catching up. The time goes by quickly though, and Ben had to make music in his band that night, starting at 10 pm, and all had to work in the morning. We should have gone to see the show, but 10 pm is way past our bed time, and two days in the car, full stomachs, and a couple cocktails put both of us in the ready for some shuteye.
Whitney had suggested we take a Vail Valley Food Tour of Vail Village with our friend Matt Timmerman the next day. So after breakfast and a short walk, Ellen and I drove over to Vail for a noon tour with Matt.
Vail is a relatively new town, founded in the early 60’s by some of the members of the 10th Mountain Division who loved to ski and wanted to set up a fantastic ski resort. There are a variety of styles of buildings and businesses geared toward a tourist/skiing crowd. El and I stopped here on our honeymoon in 1974 and barely recognized the place when we first returned in 2000. Matt was waiting for us by Terra Bistro, an organic, sustainable, farm to table restaurant. We were joined by two young ladies who worked as concierges at a local hotel and wanted to learn more about Vail history and good places to suggest to their customers. Matt has lived in the valley since the 90’s and has learned a great deal of Vail valley and Colorado history, so the tour isn’t just about great eating – it is about great eating though. While El and I have visited Vail many times over the last decade, we knew little of the colorful history and had not visited these sorts of places much, mostly because of the cost I guess. Anyway, on this easy walking tour, Matt shared history and culinary knowledge of many of restaurants and clubs we passed. We actually had tastings in seven establishments: Terra Bistro, The Red Lion, Fuzziwig’s, La Tour, Bol, La Bottega, and Alpenrose. My favorite food was probably the grilled trout we had in the first place. We also had tuna tar tar, a gin cocktail called the Bee’s Knees, a fabulous mushroom stuffed ravioli in browned butter sauce but one was so rich and delicious I can’t imagine a plateful, salads, and unbelievable dessert samples. I have to admit my favorite was really the stop at Fuzziwig’s Gourmet Candy store where we sampled homemade caramel dipped in rich dark or milk chocolate with a light topping of sea salt. OMG! We went back later. Why take a food tour? Well, we enjoyed Matt’s company, meeting the others on the tour, learning a great deal of Vail history, and trying some fabulous cuisine and places we would probably not get to otherwise. It is three hours of pure relaxation and pleasure. You can check out Vail Valley Food Tours at: www.vailvalleyfoodtours.com. Also, even I was stuffed, so you get your money’s worth.
That evening we ate (Can you believe this after our food tour?) at Montana’s Smokehouse with Ben and our nephew Tyler Hauk who is a relatively new mountain man from the deserts of Arizona. Ellen and I shared a cheeseburger and fries, while the boys had smoked and grilled feasts. The sunset was spectacular, streaked with pinks, reds, blues, greens, and an occasional lightning bolt in the distance.
Mark and Whitney were off to Red Rocks Amphitheater west of Denver for a concert by the group, Fun. We worried that the severe weather all around us would get them in the outdoor venue, but they said it was just breezy and it sprinkled a bit and the concert was “amazing.”
Until next time, get out – hunting season is upon us. I have to start shooting my bow; I know, I know, but my right wrist has been stove up from a circus tumble I did clear back in late June. I am going to try this week. I sure hope Wayne at River Road Marine had some luck reviving the Queen while we’re gone. I imagine the pan fishing is really hot. Next time, more on our Colorado adventure. Enjoy.
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